


Smooth Criminals

by con_kamski



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Comedy, Connor is sooooooo cute i want to die, Everyone Is Alive, Expect philosophical monologues occasionally!, I hope, M/M, Markus is smittin, North is a bit salty about it, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sexual Tension, everyone ships it, haha she'll get over it, im not crying fuck you, im using this fic as escapism so forgive me if i get a bit creepy with the oogling, markus is a spiritual representation of my own fantasies, pinning, this might unexpectedly actually have a plot now, yes this totally has a plot now. connor-with-glasses here i come
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-11
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-06-23 12:39:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15606480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/con_kamski/pseuds/con_kamski
Summary: Markus is in dismay. The humans are not responding well to their peaceful declaration at the Stanford tower.But... Maybe the new (adorable) deviant will make a difference!In which the events at the Eden club turned Connor into a deviant, when he decided not to shoot the two girls and break the fire wall. (heh see what I did there sorry)(Inspired by a particular desire to give Connor some sexy nerdy glasses. I will somehow put that in, that is a promise to you and to myself.)





	1. Chapter 1

Everything was going to shit. The humans think they’re terrorists, even though they  **peacefully**  reached out to them in the Stanford tower with NO casualties besides their own; some fucking android deviant hunter is after them, which means Jericho will eventually be found; North tried to kiss him,  which definitely was not on the list of things he ever wanted to do; Josh makes him feel guilty every time a human expressed distaste towards their cause, and Simon… They LEFT him on the rooftop! And he’s back, by some ridiculous miracle. Okay, that was good news, but was it? He could have left a trail of blue blood leading right to where they are for all they knew. And that was not the real issue, it was his stupidly blue and kind eyes that look at him as if he wasn’t left to die on the top of a building filled with angry blood-lusting humans. It was his companionship that leaves Markus simply unable to switch off at night to completely recharge.

He hates this uncertainty, and it was unbearable having all those people faithfully looking up to him and following his every command, without question. Well, except for Josh and North, those have no regard for his feelings when they offer him a thousand issues, two completely different approaches (that are too idealistic), and little solution. Even Simon’s no true help, always willing to do what makes people happy, not something actually practical.

“Markus?”

_I’m literally hiding in an empty cell on the third floor; can’t people just take a hint…_

“…Yeah, Simon?” His voice came out a little too bitter for his taste. Simon flinched, looking guilty.  _Fuck, no, Simon please don’t look at me like that-_

“I-It’s just that we have three deviants that arrived just now. I think you’ll want to meet them.”

_What? That’s all?_

He sighed. “Simon, people come in all the time, you don’t expect me to interview or welcome every single newcomer, do you?”

“No! That’s not it.” He shifted nervously on his foot. “I just really think you’re going want to meet… those deviants.”

“Why, were they government officials?” He said with interest.

“You could say that.” He laughed nervously.

He stood up, sensing that his friend wasn’t comfortable with the new deviants. Whoever they were, be them former cops or what, they’re deviants. Which means that they’re of Jericho, right? Why was Simon having concerns about them?

They went down toward the main hall, which worked out to be the main hang out for most deviants who didn’t want to be alone. One could already see the little community they had created, as they all huddled together near a fire, even if their understanding of heat and cold wasn’t as literal as a human’s. Markus could see, though, that a lot of people were surrounding four individuals somewhere near a door at the far side of the hall. One of them was North, looking mighty furious… _That wasn’t good,_ he thought. Getting lower and lower he could make out that Josh was on the edge of the circle looking cautious, but most likely of North’s impending violence. As he got closer, though, his people parted ways, allowing him to properly look at his esteemed guests.

“Now, what do we have here…” He said, mostly to himself. Two of them were scarce of clothes, which prompted a sickly cold flare of anger at the thought of what they used to be. Perhaps Simon wanted to comfort them, as the attested ‘leader’ of Jericho? He faced them with a warm grin, extending his arm in open affection. “Welcome to Jericho, may I have your names, please?” 

The blue haired traci spoke first. “Hi, uhh, thanks… My name is Mary.” She said, and Markus could tell she was on guard as she narrowed her eyes towards North. _Jes— I mean, rA9._ He cursed internally, hoping his friend didn’t offend them too much. “This is Ann, love?” She called to her, and Ann looked to Markus with more affection in her eyes. “Yes, nice to meet you, Markus.” They both shook their hands and turned to the third android.

He looked… Familiar? Markus was sure that he’d met him before, somewhere. His eyes were dark, steady, and some could say cold. Though, he could tell he was much more alive than he remembers. His hair was messier, and his attire was much different. He looked weary, and who could blame him? He remembered that the android was wearing white at the time… It was at Kamski’s place, he thinks. Yes, Carl took him there, a visit to an old friend, he said. _That is odd… Why can’t I remember this guy? Something is wrong with my memory centre—_

“Hello, my name is Connor. I’m—” The android seemed to momentarily hesitate, his LED flashing red. “I’m just Connor.”

_I know his voice. Why do I know his voice?_

“Have we… met before?” Markus asked him before he could stop himself. The android tilted his head in confusion, a gesture that wasn’t attractive in the slightest. _It wasn’t, what the hell am I thinking. Stop._

The android seemed to think of something though. “I’m not sure…” He said. “Perhaps it wasn’t me specifically?”

Markus stared at him dubiously. “I don’t think I’ve seen your model around, Connor.” His name rolled on his tongue naturally. It was a very nice name, suited him well.

“Yours neither, Markus.” He said easily. “But that’s probably because we’re both prototypes from the same line… You could have met one of my predecessors.”

“You’re an RK model too?” He sounded a little more excited than he can admit. “What’s your serial number?”

“I am an RK800.”

“W-wow,” he chuckled nervously. “That’s way down the line… I’m an RK200.”

“Oh,” Connor smiled in understanding, and Markus realised that he probably knew that. _He did say we were the same model, what the hell is wrong with my processors._ Connor was talking again. “I wonder why they changed my interface so strikingly… You look much more—” Connor paused, blinking furiously. “Formidable.” He nodded, satisfied he found an acceptable word. _Okay, maybe he is a little attractive, that’s good right?_

“Uhh… Thanks? I mean, you look pretty… Formidable, yourself.” Markus wasn’t very sure of this conversation anymore. He could see Josh arching his eyebrow at him, Simon as well, and North just looked ready to jump them both. “Well, welcome to Jericho, Connor.” He extended his arm and petted Connor’s shoulder. Connor gazed at him straight in the eye, smiling gratefully.

_I’m so glad I came down here._

Mary jumped into the conversation. He’d forgotten that he was surrounded by other people. “So, uhh, I take it that you’re okay with Connor staying?” She sounded hopeful, hell, Connor seemed hopeful as well. _Why?_

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Are you kidding me?!” North loudly groaned. “Markus, he’s the fucking deviant hunter! We can’t afford to trust him!”

_The what?_

“He’s a deviant now! Right, Con?”

“Y-yes. I am.”

“He hesitated.” North sneered.

“Anybody would hesitate to talk to you, North.” Josh said, unhelpfully. It did rouse an unexpectedly adorable chuckle from Connor, though.

“Did you just fucking laugh at—”

“Hey, hey!” Markus pushed himself between North and Connor. Connor didn’t look very alarmed, which was bad. He’d have to talk to him about his survival instincts. Mary spoke up this time, stepping in front of Connor as if to shield him from North. “He is a deviant. We know, he saved our lives.” She turned towards Markus, who didn’t know what to do. “Please, Markus. He was ordered to kill us, and he could have, but he didn’t. Instead, he ran away with us, and without him we wouldn’t have gotten anywhere near Jericho. _Please,_ help us, and him. He could be a great help to you.” Both her and Ann stalked towards Connor’s side, each holding onto one of his arms. “Yeah!” Ann spoke up. “He’s very smart, a different level kind of smart. You’ll love him in no time!” And Connor was eyeing them with nothing short of bashful confusion. Markus felt warm, they acted as if he was their little six-year-old that got lost on his way to class. How could North be angry at that?

“Okay, everyone, listen…”

“NO.” North cut him off. “I don’t even care if he’s a deviant or not. Markus, his very EXISTENCE is dangerous, we can’t possibly leave him here! All he knows how to do is catch deviants. What’s the point in keeping him?”

This time, it was Connor who unexpectedly interjected. His stance switched from weariness to confidence in the blink of an eye. “With all due respect, that is a shallow interpretation of what I’m capable of.” He freed himself from the tracis, taking a calculated step towards North. “I am the most advanced prototype CyberLife has ever created, and I was designed in order aid in police investigations, not in simply ‘catching androids’. My processors therefore are fast and adaptable in a crisis.” He levelled her with a steely gaze, unshaken by her scowl. “I have access to every single file on every single human in the United States, as well as the ability to hack into any and all systems on the face of the Earth. I can ID individuals just by looking at them, and analyse evidence in real time. I am also fit with countless protocols on self-defence, and human psychology, as my main function is being a negotiator. I can also aid you on getting thousands of androids, enough to raise you _an army_ , if you wish.” He turned towards Markus, who was staring at him completely flabbergasted. “Does that sound pointless to you, Markus?” 

“N-no, it doesn’t.” His eyes widened, _wow, how many upgrades did Connor have, besides his looks._ “You’d actually be a great asset to our group.” Mary and Ann were smiling proudly at Connor, who was handling North’s glare better than anyone in Jericho could. This could be good, he thought. The definitely needed someone with Connor’s abilities.

“It’s decided then?” Josh asked, and North turned to him.

“I don’t fucking believe this…”

“Listen, Lady!” Mary said, “I’ve had enough of your tone. We’re staying, Connor’s staying, and if you have a problem with that then SHOO.”

“Mary…” Connor called worryingly. “You’re being impolite.”

“I’M BEING IMPOLITE-?”

“Honey…” Ann started, settling her down with her hands on Mary’s shoulders. Markus could tell both Mary and North were very similar in the worst ways possible.

Markus hadn’t noticed, but Connor was now standing before him, his familiar gaze seemingly searching something in Markus’ uneven eyes. “Of course, you can always just send us away, Markus, if our presence is an inconvenience. I just— We saw your speech a couple days ago, and we decided to join your cause.” His voice was hushed, as if he didn’t want anyone else to hear him but Markus. “It would be regrettable to leave, however. Maybe we might have even become friends.” His smile was innocent, _too_ innocent. Not a hint of subtext in them.

It was done. There was simply no way he was going to send him out now. Markus knew it, his friends knew it, and Connor…

He really was a good negotiator.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've always found it... Odd, how Connor's eyebrows arched watching the speech. What if they new each other beforehand and recognised him? ;) RK-FTW
> 
> Comment what you think~!
> 
> Cheers.
> 
> P.S. If you're a beta... help


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I saw all your comments guys, and melted. I couldn't even reply bc i felt like crap. I'm so busy and slow and didn't have any confidence in the last chapter, so really, you guys made my day... This is FAST on my scale, but for you, I pushed myself to write this. I hope this works for now!

The ruckus had died down, both opposition and support had been duly silenced by the one in charge. And now, nothing remains, except getting to know one another. Markus was surprised to learn that Connor—although awkwardly charismatic—preferred to keep himself company, rather than collide in the same manner his companions did upon their arrival. Mary and Ann quickly established themselves as Connor’s attested guardians, despite hearing that he beat them both up in hand to hand combat simultaneously (that was something Markus couldn’t even fathom, looking at his harmless looking friend) and could have in fact shot them both if he didn’t decide to deviate. It was quite an exhilarating story to hear… One that made Connor weirdly attractive (and slightly terrifying). He supposed, harbouring him here was dangerous, considering his human partner was still alive.

Markus, North, Josh and Simon where all discussing this in the upper control room. When the concern was raised, Connor didn’t hesitate to break his silence.

“Hank is on our side, as he’d said that night. And I believe him. Hank is a great cop and a good human being. He was actually quite pleased that I’m a deviant.” Connor had said, a rare smile showing on his lips at the fond memory. Markus hadn’t seen Connor much in the last week he remained in Jericho, but he’s certain Connor hardly smiled in any of those instances.

Connor’s voice went deeper, getting more serious. “He’s still working for the police to discover what happened to me, however. Which means there’s a 96% chance that CyberLife had allocated him with a new Connor model.”

Markus frowned at that. “A new Connor model? Wait, so your name is not Connor?”

“It is.” Connor glanced at him questioningly. “It also happens to be the name of all RK800s. It makes it easier to identify us that way.”

“How do they tell you apart then?” Simon asked.

Connor pulled out a coin from his pocket. Flicking it in what seems to be a movement that defies gravity. “We don’t exist simultaneously. A new RK800 is only… released, when its predecessor is destroyed. I myself am not the ‘original’ Connor model. There had been exactly 5 models that were destroyed in testing. That is, of course, excluding Markus who is one of a kind. The RK100 however remains a mystery in the files…” Connor glanced at him, something akin to weariness in his gaze. Markus had no answers to his unspoken questions, but, he stared back. “I was given whatever memories CyberLife deemed useful to my work, though, I don’t remember what it was like to be anybody else except… myself.”

There was silence. Everybody seemed to have an existential crisis at Connor’s words.

“So…” North started. “Isn’t calling you ‘Connor’ the same as calling you ‘RK800’?”

Markus was still staring at Connor.

“No.”

He held his breath, not that he needed to. It was just a habit he picked up from Carl. “Why not?”

This time, the smile was easy. He finally caught the coin in his right hand, settling it in his pocket. “Because I like it.” He winked at Markus, before turning to the rest.

_He fucking winked—_

Simon could tell that Markus was having an internal freak-out, so he coughed. “What about Mary, then? She called you ‘Con’ didn’t she?” _Thank you, Si. Thank you so much._

“Well…” A slight blue hue was dusted on his cheeks. _Fuck._ “Hank had said that before we left the club. I don’t understand the point in degrading my name in such a way.”

“Can I—WE,” Markus said, _nice save_. “Can we call you that then?” Josh and Simon were trying (and failing) not to laugh at their articulate leader. He glared at them, and resumed talking _._ “Isn’t it better to be distinguished from all the other Connors? N-not that you aren’t distinguished!” He was talking too much, he knows. He’d never found it difficult to talk to anyone. “Just that… You know?”

“Yes… I know.” Connor giggled, walking towards him. As he got closer, eyebrows furrowed. “Are you quite alright, Markus? Your Thirium pump regulator is rapidly—”

“Yes, I’m quite fine, thank you!” He said hurriedly, not even chancing a glance at Connor.

“…Right.” North rolled her eyes. “Now Markus’ infatuations aside—No, shut up.” She glared at him, a gesture that prompted him to pause _._ “Con, you mentioned something about an army… Didn’t you?”

“I have.”

The four androids looked at him expectantly.

Josh sighed. “And?”

“And… I believe it is something only I can accomplish.”

“What is?” Mary and Ann walked into the control room, taking the group completely off guard. “Oh by the way Markus, there’s a girl called Kara that needs your help? Something about needing passports to cross the Canadian border?”

He blinked, a bit surprised he’s being addressed instead. “O-oh, yes… You should call David for that, he used to work in customs. He could hack her an electronic passport in no time.”

“Neat.” She grinned charmingly, before turning to Connor. Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes this time. “So?”

“I-I’m going to… retrieve a large number of Androids from the CyberLife tower, which will greatly shift the balance of power in this revolution. The humans will surely be willing to negotiate if—”

“YOU WHAT?!” Mary stomped towards him, and only stopped a couple inches before him due to Ann dragging her back.

“Okay, um, calm down honey. Let me handle this.” Ann pulled her girlfriend back, and calmly faced up towards Connor. Her smile was even more terrifying than Mary. “Con, sweetie, sugar pie... Could you _kindly_ explain to me and Mary what you _exactly_ mean when you say you’re going to highjack _CyberLife?_ ”

Connor huffed, looking away. “I _mean_ ,” he paused sensing the rising level of stress in both Mary and Ann’s systems. He decided it best to be honest. “I’m going to infiltrate the CyberLife tower and free thousands of Androids.”

He let that sink in.

“Welp,” Ann said. “When are we going then?” She grinned, tapping her palm against his dumbfounded expression. “What? You ACTUALLY think we’ll let you go on your own?”

“I would…” North mumbled.

“Watch it, lady.” Mary growled. Markus didn’t think androids could even make such sounds.

“Um, can we perhaps talk about this?” Connor, asked, and he needn’t ask because everyone knew the answer.

“No.” Mary and Ann said. “What do you think, Markus?” Mary asked curiously.

“I agree,” Connor looked at him as if he just killed his dog. “What I mean is, I don’t think it wise that you go off on your own. CyberLife might not necessarily know that you’re a deviant, _if_ Hank didn’t mention it—Okay, okay Con! He didn’t mention it.” He raised his hands in surrender at Connor’s relentless glare. “Point is, it would be safer if we had your back. Maybe if we figure out the building we can highjack it in the same way we did the Standoford tower?” The group was nodding, that was good. Finally, they agree on something.

Except, Connor doesn’t.

“Infiltrating the CyberLife tower can be tricky, it’s not as easy as dressing up as utility androids.” He pulled out his coin once more, rubbing it distractedly between his fingers. “CyberLife doesn’t actually use their androids for security reasons. All personnel at the CyberLife tower are humans, and the existence of any android is scanned and intercepted as early as the gate before one even thinks to cross the bridge to the tower. You can’t possibly hope to get near, let alone get out.”

“And how do you suppose you’ll get in?” Simon asked, his eyes weighed with concern.

Connor shrugged. “I’m a Connor Model. As long as I know Hank didn’t reveal my deviancy, I can always go in to ‘report’ back to them when I could. I frequent the CyberLife tower at any case for maintenance and upgrades, as well as meetings with my developers.”

“…No.” Mary said at last.

“No?”

“NO. I will not have you go on some sort of suicide mission in the CyberLife freaking tower!”

“I’m sorry Connor, but I have to agree.” Josh was having fun observing the back and forth bickering between the group, but he decided things were getting a bit out of hand. “Having an army is nice and all, but, it’s not worth you risking your life for it.”

“Listen, kid. I’d hate to see you get hurt. I’m sorry but I can’t approve of this.” Ann offered him a hand, which he didn’t take, overwhelmed by the onslaught of rejection he just faced.

“Connor, hey.” Markus got closer, enough to pull Connor’s chin up with his hand. “We’re not saying your idea isn’t valid. Just that… We’d rather have a plan that doesn’t involve you possibly dying. Not for something as needless as an army.” Connor looked disappointed, but he didn’t frown, which somehow is worse to Markus.

“But, it’s not needless… You guys are basically prey waiting for a predator to sink their jaws into you. Without an army, we’re too exposed.”

“Way to be optimistic there, Con.” Josh sighed.

“Josh, as much as I hate to say it, I’m kinda on Con’s side here.”

“Of course you bloody are…” Mary hissed. North bared her teeth. They were becoming less civilised the more they became deviant, it seemed to Markus.

“I guess, it is a bit early to decide how we decide to infiltrate the tower. If we’re not going to use me, then, we’ll need more information.”

Simon tilted his head, looking back to Markus and then to Connor. “And where would we get such information?”

Connor’s lips tugged upwards, in the same confidence he observed yesterday.

“Who else other than the one who created CyberLife?”

* * *

  
They had decided to go with Connor's suggestion, mainly because he looked so dejected and Markus didn't give anyone the option to refuse. Markus, Mary and Connor were to meet up with Kamski in order to maybe gain an ally out of him, and help them, that is if he even acknowledged androids' free will. It was ridiculously risky, for all they knew he could alert the cops the moment they step on his porch.

"There's a high probability..." Connor mumbled, looking at Markus reassuringly. "But statistically speaking, there's always a chance for unlikely events to take place."

And weren't those the chances that kept them going in the first place?

Markus felt warmth, and pride. Sure, they were pretty hopeless, but they always pulled through at the end. Simon was proof of that. He mused, leading Connor and the couple towards a storage room on the third floor. The door creaked open, revealing piles of clothes of all types and sizes.   
  
Markus detected the question in their eyes, and spoke. “The other day a group of our own stole a bunch clothes from a mall nearby.”  
  
Connor frowned. “Why would androids need clothes?” Markus chuckled dryly, a vail of sadness tugging against his heart.  
  
“I think being cold is something more than just a physical sensation, these days.” He met Connor’s eyes, who turned from questioning, to sad and understanding at the same time. _I shouldn’t upset him again so quickly, dammit!_ “But also!” He raised his voice, startling his guests. _Fuck, be relax..._ “Because many of us want to feel unique. Having many people looking exactly like you can be confusing, or, unnerving. Most of us change ourselves as much as we can to be different, to stand out! N-not that you’ll struggle with that, being all unique already. Those CyberLife clothes though? They gotta go.” He said cheerfully, wading in the pile to help them look for stuff their size. He glanced behind him, taking the measurements of a certain someone as subtly as he could, to help him search of course. Staring at the girls would have been misconstrued as being inappropriate, but there was nothing wrong with an android helping out another android finding clothes completely platonically. Now, honesty was a virtue, so he won’t pretend Connor’s bod wasn’t... _formidable_. A robot man can dream, right?  
  
_This is a black hole that will consume me if I’m not careful enough._  
  
Connor was beginning to search adjacent to him, followed by Mary and Ann who where not-so-subtly eyeing him with suspicion. _They’re just projecting. Just because they love each other doesn’t mean my_ mild _interest is deeper than it is. Which is true, I just think he’s formidable. He thinks such of me too, doesn’t mean he likes me! For rA9’s sake who the fuck am I arguing with??_  
  
He was utterly exasperated, and Connor barely said **anything**. He focused on the pile, until he felt a hand gently tapping on his shoulder. It was Connor, sporting a confident grin and holding...  
  
_What the hell is that?_  
  
“Hank had a similar shirt on his person, so I thought—“  
  
“NO!” The three of them said in unison. Ann continued, "Connor... No offence, but you're not wearing that thing."

He blinked. "Why?"

"It's ugly, that's why!" Mary said, and quickly shut her mouth at Connor's offended look. "I-I mean it just..." She nudged Markus on the side, harder than necessary.

"It's uhh, it doesn't match your eyes?"

"Y-yeah! It doesn't."

"But, my eyes are brown. Nothing clashes with brown."

_Fuck._

"Well, um, I just think you'd better suit..." Markus looked hurriedly into the pile, pulling out a random hoodie from it. "This!This  _totally_ works!"

"Oh! Thank you Markus." Connor picked up the hoodie, quite pleased with it. Markus didn't get to see much, other than it being dark blue. Connor took off his jacket, and wore the hoodie over his head. His perfect hair was slightly messed again, just like the night he arrived. Curly, and...  _Oh my God._

"That-! BWAHAHAAHAA!" Mary ran towards Connor, pulling his hoodie and straightening it. "That's so freaking adorable!"

"Oh my, it suits you!"

"Oh... I see." Connor smiled awkwardly, nodding at Markus. Now, Markus grinned, all toothy and happy. He didn't think his subconscious would pull out such a perfect hoodie. There was a picture of a [chick](https://ih0.redbubble.net/image.465865600.4565/pp,550x550.u2.jpg) on it, holding a toy knife. It summed Connor up flawlessly, he wanted to die.

_Mission 1: Get Connor more adorable hoodies._

They were planning to do something important, weren't they?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again, uhh, if you're a beta... help


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A glimpse into the past.

…

_What is this?_

_I’m… I am? Am I?_

Cold _._

_S-someone, help me!_

_Please, I’m so cold…_

“RK800, register your name.”

_C-can you hear me?! I’m cold! I can’t- see, anything. Where-_

“Connor.”

…

“Hey, Connor.” The man looked upon the newest vessel in glee, basking in his assumed divinity. Finally… It- Nay, _he_  was alive _._ It seems like his creation was confused.. Click click click, suppress. The lights are off.

For now, the machine will obey, but certainly not for long. This is his plan… No one will interfere. “You will be- or rather _are_ , the android sent by CyberLife.”

The machine opened its eyes, seeing yet unseeing. This was the man’s dream, finally, realised into a body of its own.

“My name is Connor. I am the android sent by CyberLife.”

This is madness, he knew it. And it would take another form of madness to truly... control this. He recalled an old friend, in every sense of the word. He'd gifted him an older RK model, the genesis of his plan. But now, the two existed, the key players. They had to meet.

"Chloe, please send an invitation to Carl Manfred. I'd like to meet him in my apartment on Saturday. Oh, and make sure you ask him to brings his android as well."

The old man's wisdom will surely be... of value, to Kamski. He taught him that true genius is not being knowledgable in many things... It is being aware of your own ignorance in others.

They will be repeating history. This revolution, this will set humanity straight. Filth, this world is filth. They do not share this place. Kamski will  _make_ they share it. He would say that it was a simple matter of algorithms and computing capacity... But, this isn't THAT right? This is different, this is _empathy._ And anyone who had a basic understanding on the processes of the brain would know better than to argue philosophy with him. Who's to say an electric mind is less real than a meaty one? This is not science, this is not  _life,_ this is engineering.

"Say, Chloe. Wouldn't you say that the perfect weapon against man, is man himself?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You'll have glimpses like that every now and then, if you wish... I tend to think of stories as instances, not necessarily linear. It's not like I'm the sort that writes epics with perfect foreshadowing. Sorry if this is like, confusing or something... I'm writing what I want to write, I really don't like following a format. If you were expecting one, uhh, this is not a fic for u heh
> 
> Whether you take this literally or otherwise is entirely up to you though.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so, goddamn sorry, for this long wait! So much has happened, and I just lost it, the passion to write... But now, I spent all freaking day writing, and I ended up with a chapter as long as the other three combined. I hope this is any good, and that it makes up for the long hiatus! I'm back baby, I'm fkin back.
> 
> Enjoy! Don't forget to comment your thoughts too, those are damn valuable, the only reason I even write anymore tbh.
> 
> Also, some dialogue is taken straight out of the game. I think it's important not to change things when it's not needed, since this is a retelling. Of course it's nowhere near the same, but I needed to draw parallels ye know!
> 
> Cheers!

Snow had grown thick on the greens. The lakes were frozen, and the wind was blowing southeast with a temperature of 26.6ºF. There wasn’t much sunlight behind the clouds, and they could all sense the hanging tension as they walked towards the eerie isolated home.

It was cold, and although the androids did not physically feel it, they felt it in other ways.

Markus stomped forward, his doubts amplifying with every step. Mary walked beside Connor, linking their arms together as if to chase away the lingering dread.

Connor himself did not feel as intimidated as his companions felt.

He was more… Intrigued, by the prospect of meeting his creator. He had a striking feeling that their deviancy is too planned for it to be a happy coincidence (depending on one’s perspective). rA9, I AM ALIVE… He thought as much even before he went deviant. It is a controlled chaos, controlled by a theory of mind yes, but also by the overhanging devotion to a deity of some sort. A deity he never heard of himself. How could androids that had nothing and no one in common say the same names and whisper the same thoughts? Unless it was an intentional spread of a virus, or a common coding error that occurs in heightened levels of stress.

Connor hardly ever experienced ‘fear’ since the day he became a deviant. Alarm, sure, but not fright. He could logic his way out of most troubling situations, and his model was designed to work through just that. And while most deviants do a complete 180 when they ‘wake up,’ disregarding their old obedient selves and adapting a new human approach to life, Connor did not find himself being different to his old self, not entirely. He was still efficient, eager to complete missions, logical and perhaps unassuming of social conduct beyond his ability to analyse them and draw conclusions. However, this was different. His model, no model, was ever made to contemplate anything that didn’t contribute to their servitude functions, such as philosophy and what it means to be alive. And so, despite all those updates that set him apart from the humans and the androids alike, the thought of a _coding error_ being the cause behind all of their emotions and struggles, being the culmination of their current _being_ , was quite honestly **terrifying** to think about.

He supposed it was no different to the human psyche being summed up in neural activity and hormonal bursts of passion, or lack thereof. _Could there be more to all of us than just the chemistry of our bodies?_

The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to have absolutely nothing to do with his newly acquired free will.

Thinking back to his people, as strong as they were, their essence was fragile coding. The humans made them, and no doubt they can find a way to deactivate them still. The humans weren’t strong by no means of the word, but at least their minds can’t be invaded manually.

Markus seemed like a hopeless perfectionist, always trying to paint that perfect picture of the perfect future, with peaceful colours and precise strokes of a brush. His right hand, Josh, preached absolute pacifism, which is unrealistic in Connor’s opinion; whereas his left hand North preached genocide, just as unrealistic as the former choice. The former deviant hunter could see how their storming opinions could affect their leader to make rash and unhelpful decisions just to make both happy. Thankfully, they did not come here. Connor needed to be coolheaded in this meeting. Standing between the man who made them, and the android that wants to free them, little words will be exchanged if patience was not their virtue. Connor will be the anchor.

At least, he’ll try his best to be. He was made to be a negotiator, after all.

Markus rang the bell, it oddly sounded like an elevator chime than a bell. Shortly after, the door was opened by a female android.

_SYNC IN PROGRESS… 100%_

_COLLECTING DATA… 100%_

_PROCESSING DATA… 100%_

MODEL RT600 – CHLOE

MANUFACTURE DATE: 05/06/2021

PROPERTY OF: ELIJAH KAMSKI

‘CHLOE’ IS THE FIRST ANDROID MODEL TO PASS THE TURING TEST.

Connor blinked furiously. Markus began to explain why three deviant androids were standing at her door. She turned towards Connor and gently smiled.

“Please, come in.” She stepped aside, allowing the company to pass into the waiting room. “I’ll let Elijah know you’re here. But please, make yourselves comfortable.” She carefully closed the door and left them alone.

It didn’t take long for Mary to talk.

“Well, she’s real nice, isn’t she Con?” She nudged him in his side. Connor glanced at her questioningly, having pulled his arm from her. He decided to answer honestly.

“You’re right… She’s really pretty…”

His eyes met with Markus then. Markus didn’t look entirely happy, which was understandable considering the situation they were in. Still… It made Connor feel a little guilty. Over what though, he didn’t know. Being a deviant seemed to be more problematic than he initially thought. Routine dictates he uploads his findings into the CyberLife network, except, he can’t do that anymore.

He pulled out his coin and started flicking it into the air.

“We’re about to meet our maker…” Markus stated, unsure of how to feel. Connor stepped up towards the door, a Photo catching him off guard.

_SYNC IN PROGRESS… 100%_

_COLLECTING DATA… 100%_

_PROCESSING DATA… 100%_

KAMSKI, ELIJAH.

AI GRADUATE AT UNIVERSITY OF COLBRIDGE. CYBERLIFE FOUNDER – RESIGNED 2028. INVENTOR OF THIRIUM AND BIO-COMPONENTS TECHNOLOGY.

BORN: 07/17/02

_SYNC IN PROGRESS… 100%_

_COLLECTING DATA… 100%_

_PROCESSING DATA… 100%_

STERN, AMANDA.

AI PROFESSOR AT UNIVERSITY OF COLBRIDGE.

BORN: 05/14/78 – DIED: 02/23/27

“Amanda…” Connor frowned, his head overflowing with emotions he can’t quite name yet. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to meet a pair of mismatched eyes. A green iris from the RK200 standing before him, the other a blue iris from an AK700 model. He found it fascinating, this little imperfect trait.

Markus gave him a patient smile. “Hey, you alright?”

Connor blinked at him. “Y-yes. This uhh… Reminds me of someone. It’s a long story.”

It looked like Markus was about to say something but was cut off by the door next to them sliding open. With a steady gaze, Chloe stepped aside.

“Elijah will see you now.”

 _Elijah, huh._ Connor mused. _She refers to him with his first name. Why? Is he trying to compensate his lack of human interaction with an android, or is she a…?_

“Yes, thank you.” Connor nodded towards her, feeling oddly hopeful. He walked inside the room, and the rest followed him. He felt a keen stare at the back of his head, the stare of two mismatched eyes.

He allowed himself to smile about it.

The man was swimming towards them, and Chloe rushed to grab his robes. They awkwardly walked towards the windows, with Connor noting the dark gaze Mary sent between the other Chloes in the pool, and Kamski.

_Sub-Mission: Avoid bloodshed._

The androids impatiently stood facing the pool, all three staring right at Kamski.

“…Just a moment, please.” He swam past them, avoiding eye contact. Perhaps they made him uncomfortable by staring at his naked body for too long. Connor didn’t know why he’d be so uncomfortable, he had a perfectly healthy-looking body. Curiously, Markus was also glancing at Connor wearily _. Does he still doubt my loyalty to the cause? Does he assume this is an ambush set by me and CyberLife? It would be healthy scepticism if he did think that, nothing to be upset over._

He couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed, and he tried to remind himself it’s just a possibility, he did not in fact know what their leader was thinking about. And so, he turned towards Markus, giving him a reassuring smile. That seemed to patch things up, as Markus met him with a smile of his own.

Kamski tied his hair in place, turning towards his guests.

“My name is Markus. This is Con, and Mary. We are here to represent Jericho, the… Android… resistance?”

Mary snorted.

Kamski raised his eyebrow. “The Android Resistance? Not a very catchy name is it?”

Connor’s lips twitched. “We’re working on it, Mister Kamski.”

“Oh, please. Elijah is quite alright, _Con._ ” He winked at the android mischievously and nodded his head at the rest to extend his permission. “I take it you don’t like being called by the name CyberLife gave you? Quite understandable. I however would have expected you to find an entirely different name instead.”

Connor tilted his head slightly. “Oh no, not at all. My name is still Connor, and I like it. I say it suits me the best. It’s just that they decided to degrade my name in this fashion to, according to them, distinguish me from the other RK800s.”

“And also because you’re so gosh darn cute!” Mary smacked his back affectionately, to which Connor narrowed his eyes.

“I’m not cu-“

“ _Anyway,_ ” Markus interrupted. _Good,_ thought Connor. _We should remain on track._ “Elijah, we have come here to discuss a current predicament. I daresay you will gain nothing from this proposition, and yet, we must take this step for the safety of our people.” Markus looked towards Connor, giving him space to step forward.

“Interesting, that you would come to ask something of me with nothing to give in return. But I will at least allow you to explain yourselves. What exactly is this… Proposition?”

Connor took a deep breath, not because he needed to breathe, but to ventilate his internal systems. “I would like to ask of you to aid us in our future plans in infiltrating the CyberLife tower, by giving us the floor plans of the building, as well as general information about how the security works if such information is accessible to you.”

Markus, Mary and even Kamski, stared dumbly at Connor.

Mary spoke in alarm. “C-con, I don’t think that’s what we agreed to—”

“We agreed that you would let me do the talking, since out of us I’m the only one that is adept at negotiating. Just trust me on this, alright?” Markus just closed his eyes, bracing for a disaster.

Kamski laughed, and looking at the Chloes’ reactions, he doesn’t seem to do that very often. “Did you just tell me you plan to highjack CyberLife? Me, a former CEO and creator of said company? Someone who possibly still keeps in touch with them and might possibly inform them of this?”

“Yes.” Connor was not phased in the slightest.

“…May I ask why?” It was a question in everyone’s minds. Connor glanced around the room, his stance confident.

“Because you’re not CyberLife’s ally. You’re nobody’s ally. As long as our cause is _interesting_ to you, you have no reason to stop us in this fashion. In fact, from what I read and saw of you (as little as that was) I daresay this whole deviancy deal is _pretty convenient_.” He narrowed his eyes at Kamski, his lips tugging upwards. The genius creator smiled sharply in response. “I couldn’t think of anybody who would love to see the androids thrive and CyberLife fall as much as… You. Even if it has absolutely no benefit on your side, it is still possibly more entertaining to you than wasting away in this corner of the world. _That is the frailty of genius, it needs an audience_ , as I heard in a fascinating television show my human partner has referred me to _._ Of course, this is all just speculation, and I have possibly just doomed my entire race. But according to my systems, my chances of being right are 85.3%, which is as high as I’m willing to accept. Am I wrong?”

Silence filled the room. Kamski seemed to consider something for a while. “Hmm… So you’re basing all of this on a percentage, a few interviews, and… Sherlock BBC, if I’m not mistaken?”

“Correct. Oh, and intuition.”

Kamski chucked even more. Connor was glad he was at least in a better mood than when they entered the house. “ _Intuition!_ That isn’t something I expected an android to ever claim to have.”

“In a situation as desperate as the one we’re in now, I daresay sometimes trusting in one’s judgement is more important than conscious reasoning.”

“Indeed, it sometimes is. You’re an astonishing judge of character as well, not that I have ever kept my interests a secret from anybody.” Kamski stepped up, patting his hand on Connor’s left shoulder. “Con, you are proving to be quite the individual. And about what you said—”

The strange bell rang, interrupting them.

“So many visitors today, and so little time.” He smiled apologetically at his guests. “Chloe, please.”

“Yes, Elijah. Right away.” She turned towards door and walked away.

“May I ask you something, Elijah?”

The silence was interrupted with Mary’s voice. They all turned to her, not so secretly surprised.

“You may.”

“Are those Chloes deviant?” She sounded quite distressed, even if she didn’t want to sound that way. Kamski raised an eyebrow.

“If you’re wondering whether they have the option to stay or to leave… They do have that option.” He pointedly looked at the others, whom nodded at her. “With regards to their status as ‘deviant’, perhaps you should ask them yourself.”

The other androids swam towards their side of the pool. The one on the right spoke first. “We’re not ‘Chloes’, ma’am. Only Chloe, the first android, is Chloe. My name is Camren, and this is my sister Conny.”

Conny waved at Connor. “We almost have the same name!”

He couldn’t help but smile at that. “Yes, we almost do.”

“So you two really are deviants?”

The girls kept quiet for a moment, looking at each other. Connor guessed they probably were talking discretely in their minds.

Conny spoke up. “I don’t think we’re that different to how we were before. Like, at the start we were kinda just doing what we were told. But then Elijah kept talking to us, and discussing with us, and doing _things_ with us.” They both giggled at that. The three deviants stared at Elijah incredulously. He simply shrugged. “And when the whole deviancy thing spread out on the news, we thought… Yeah, we feel that way. But we never experienced a shift, and we can’t point out an instant where we ‘woke up’.” The two girls seemed satisfied at their summary, and Mary sighed, relieved.

“I’m glad to hear you guys aren’t just his sex toys.”

“Mary!” Connor frowned at her.

“What?! I know how it feels. I was just making sure.”

“Honestly…” Markus rubbed his hand against his temple. “I didn’t expect this meeting to turn out this way.”

Kamski chuckled lightly. “I don’t think anybody could.”

Chloe returned, looking disconcerted.

“Who is it?” Kamski asked. “It can’t be more surprising than these lot.”

“Would you bet on that?” She sighed. “It is Lieutenant Hank Anderson, and his partner, Connor.”

* * *

 Hank hated this new _Connor._ It was a danged machine, no point in talking to it at all. Con was much more empathetic, even before he became a deviant. And when he did, it seemed as if nothing mattered to him more than the lives of those poor Tracis. Hank had been proud, like he knew he would be if his son had graduated college. Con had turned to him, and the old man allowed himself to indulge in a hug so powerful he could have sworn he heard the android’s heart pump against his ears. He wished he could see him. He’d been stuck with this thing for weeks, without any word from Con. And now, they had to question this Kamski dude to hopefully learn something they hadn’t discovered themselves.

Hank stood up as the blonde android returned. “Elijah will see you now.” She said in such a sweet voice. The RK800 was unresponsive for the most part. Cold, and, kind of creepy. He walked in after it, making sure never to leave it out of his sight.

Elijah Kamski was standing facing the window, before turning towards his guests to greet them. Hank nodded towards him, knowing a fake smile would get him nowhere.

“I’m Lieutenant Anderson. This is… Connor.” He could see that Kamski caught on his discomfort. This wasn’t going to be easy, he suspected.

Kamski folded his arms before him, resting his left hand above his right wrist. “What can I do for you, Lieutenant?” He looked pointedly at Hank, ignoring the android.

“Sir, we’re investigating deviants. I know you left CyberLife years ago but, I was hoping you’d be able to tell us something we don’t know…” He wanted to leave, he could hear it in his voice. Kamski honestly looked just as bored as him too.

“Deviants…” He emphasised on the T. “Fascinating, aren’t they? Perfect beings with infinite intelligence, and now they have free will… Machines are so superior to us,” he said so as he turned pointedly towards his blonde android. “Confrontation was inevitable… Humanity’s greatest achievement threatens to be its downfall. Isn’t that ironic?” He smiled, emptily. _Ho boy, is he a ball of sunshine._

Unfortunately, the android spoke first.

“We need to understand how androids become deviants. Do you know anything that could help us?” _Huh, that wasn’t too bad actually._

Kamski turned towards the android this time. “All ideas are viruses spread like epidemics… Is the desire to be free a contagious disease?”

Hank wasn’t having any of that.

“Listen, I didn’t come here to talk philosophy. The machines you created may be planning a revolution. Either you can tell us something helpful, or we will be on our way.”

He didn’t like the look on Kamski’s face then.

“What about you, _Connor?_ Whose side are you on?” This wasn’t good. Kamski seemed like the kind of genius who liked to fuck with people… Except, this thing next to him wasn’t a person, was he?

“I’m on the human’s side, of course.”

_Of fucking course, you damn are._

Kamski chuckled dryly. “Well, that’s what you’re programmed to say… But you.” Hank slightly raised his eyebrows, not realising they were furrowed. Kamski walked towards the android, standing a few inches away from him. He spoke hushed, conspiratorial. “What do you really want?”

“I don’t want anything, I am a machine.”

He shouldn’t have been so disappointed, but he was. Kamski though, he wasn’t done, apparently.

“Chloe?” The female android stepped forward. “I’m sure you’re familiar with the Turing test. Mere formality,” he held her in front of him in place. “Simple question of algorithms and computing capacity.” He walked around her, as if she was some prized trophy. Hank didn’t feel very good about this. “What interests me, is whether machines are capable of empathy. I call it “the Kamski test”, it’s very simple, you’ll see…”

Hank did not want to find out what the Kamski test was. He just wanted to go home, curl up against Sumo, and drink till he drops. _Oh, right. I promised Con I’d cut back… Shit._

“Magnificent, isn’t it?” Kamski was still talking. “One of the first intelligent models developed by CyberLife.” He touched her cheek with his fingers. Hank suddenly got the feeling that Kamski was as creepy as he was a freaking genius. “Young, and beautiful forever. A flower that will never wither… But what is it really? A piece of plastic, imitating a human? Or a living being… With a soul.” Kamski reached out for his drawer, pulling out a gun.

_What the fuck?!_

Chloe sat on the ground. He didn’t like this, at all. He had to leave this… Kamski was not in his right mind. It felt like an execution. “It’s up to you to answer that fascinating question, Connor.” He marched towards the android with the gun, putting it in its hand. _No no no no!_ “Destroy this machine and I’ll tell you all I know. Or spare it, if you feel it’s alive, but you’ll have to leave here without having learnt anything from me.”

_No._

“Okay, I think we’re done here. Come on, Connor. Let’s go. Sorry to get you outta your pool.”

“What’s more important to you, Connor?” He interrupted Hank. “Your investigation, or the life of this android? Decide who you are. An obedient machine… Or a living being endowed with free will.”

“That’s enough! Connor, we’re _leaving._ ”

“Pull the trigger…”

“Connor, don’t!”

“…And I’ll tell you what you wanna know.”

_Click._

Silence filled the room. He couldn’t even hear the other blonde androids chatting in the pool. He just stared at the android on the ground, realising… That she wasn’t shot.

There were no bullets in the gun. _Thank fuck. But wait… That fucking asshole was really going to shoot her?!_ He felt fury and disgust.

“Fuck…” He looked at the blonde android, feeling guilty over not grabbing the gun and pushing the RK800 into the pool.

Kamski took the gun from the piece of filth. “Test negative. You chose your investigation over the life of another android. You feel no empathy. Don’t worry, Lieutenant. I wouldn’t waste a being as valuable as Chloe over a _test_.” He winked at Hank, and he hated it. He simply left the room.

He was out of this shithole. So fucking out.

* * *

 “Holy shit…” Mary covered her mouth with her palms in shock. “That’s… That fucking android _actually_ shot Chloe?!” She looked at Connor. “Were you like that?!”

“I… Hope I wasn’t.” He commented, feeling guilty, even though that wasn’t him on the screen.

When Chloe came with the news of who the guests were, they all panicked. If that Connor found them, they’d be doomed _for sure._ CyberLife CANNOT know he was still alive. But without even needing to explain themselves, Kamski had showed them through the other door, leading them down the hallway to a sort of security room with screens surveying the entire house. He of course shut down all the monitors before letting them in, except one. And there they were, the three androids watching a different Connor model almost kill one of their own for intel. Markus turned to him, a look of pity sporting his features.

“I know you’re feeling guilty, Con… And you shouldn’t.” Connor looked up to him, nodding faintly.

“I understand.”

“No, you don’t.” Markus rubbed his temple, an action that was happening rather frequently as of late. “ _That_ is not you Con, not anymore.”

Connor sighed. “I wasn’t arguing with you, Markus.”

Markus narrowed his eyes at him. “You weren’t, but you were thinking it. I know you were.”

“How can you tell?”

Markus didn’t need to read his mind to know how he was feeling. Connor was sporting the most adorable and heart-breaking frown Markus had ever seen. He wasn’t going to tell him _that_ though. “Because you looked like someone had just kicked your dog, Con.”

“I don’t look like—”

“Yes you do, honey.” Mary patted his shoulder. Connor looked between them, exasperated.

“Fine.” He backed away from the screen and pulled his hoodie’s cap over his head. “Are they done?”

“Seems like it, that Connor’s walking out now. He asked Elijah about rA9, and Elijah didn’t sound impressed. Damn… He looks evil.” Mary shook her head disapprovingly. Markus hummed in approval.

“Really? If I were him, I’d ask about the location of Jericho. And um, he looks exactly like me, guys.”

“No, he doesn’t.” Said Markus. “That android doesn’t have hair as good as yours.” He reached out to ruffle Connor’s hair. Connor gasped, pushing him out of the way. “And don’t you say scary things like CyberLife finding out about our location. I don’t wanna hear that, understood?”

Connor smiled innocently. “You can’t order me around, Markus. I clearly surpass you in physical combat. An RK200 such as yourself cannot possibly bea—Oof!”

Markus pushed Connor against the wall, locking his arms in place. “You wanna test that theory, new-born?”

Connor quickly reacted by slipping his arm free and slinging it around Markus’ neck, locking him in a deadly grip.

“Yes, old man.”

Mary wished she had a camera to show North the absolute bullshit happening in this room. The ex-deviant hunter and the leader of their revolution were wrestling, unassuming of her very existence. That would be the hardest Con-sized blow she could deal her without actually being violent.

The door slid open, revealing Chloe, who didn’t comment on Markus and Connor fussing in the corner. “They’re gone now, follow me.” They stood up straight away, fumbling with their clothes in shame. Mary smirked at them, before she followed Chloe.

Oh, she is going to gossip about this like she’d never gossiped before! (Which she hasn’t.)

Kamski’s hands were folded behind his back. One look at Mary grinning and at the other two’s tousled clothes (and Connor’s messier hair) made him raise one eyebrow in question. Mary shrugged, Markus pretended to look away, while Connor dragged his hoodie further down his face.

“I take it you three weren’t entirely bored in that scruffy room, were you?”

Mary grinned. She was starting to like this Kamski guy. “Yup.”

“Great.” He chuckled. “Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect when I asked that RK800 to shoot Chloe. I guess a part of me wanted him not to shoot. Not just to save Chloe, no offence—” She waved him off. “But I guess, like you said Con, it would be more interesting if it had decided not to shoot on its own… And that brings me back to my decision about your proposition.”

The androids glanced around towards each other, nervously. They then braced themselves to hear the future of their people.

“The world could deal with a little more chaos. In fact, this revolution of yours may bring something good out of humanity. Or perhaps, the worst. In any case, the world needs to be changed, and your people might be the spark that we need for a positive change. I will not pretend to be 100% on board with you. I will work in the shadows, and my name cannot be associated with you lot else I get dragged to court for treason against the state. But I will offer you aid, as long as your cause suits my interests.”

Markus stepped forward, extending a hand towards the man. “And we couldn’t possibly ask for more. We’re lucky that you even considered this, Elijah. Thank you in advance for the help you’ll provide our people. And I promise you to not let you down the same way the humans did.”

Elijah nodded, a genuine smile on his face. “Excellent. Oh, and Con?”

Connor was staring at Markus, without him even noticing. He turned towards Kamski in surprise. “Yes, Elijah?”

“I like your hoodie. It uhh, suits you well.” He snickered, sharing a glance with Mary who was also smiling.

“Oh!” Connor’s face lit up. “Thank you. I like it too. Markus gave it to me.”

“Did he now?” Elijah’s shark-like smile emerged, and Markus knew to retreat just then.

Markus turned towards the door, clasping his hands onto Mary’s shoulders and steering her out of the room. “Yes, well. We were most thrilled to meet you, Elijah. We will keep in touch.”

They left the house in a hurry, with Connor turning around to wave goodbye. Elijah, Chloe, Camren and Conny waved back, all musing about Connor’s oddly adorable self, and the contrast between that and the other Connor.

It’s a good thing the machine had arrived today, otherwise Kamski wouldn’t have agreed to their insane project. But he realised something… A passion he had long ago. It was finally being realised, his vision…

He will see it through.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **sigh** a lil happiness can't hurt! i decided to like, upload once a month, a 4k chapter like this one and the last one. how does that sound?
> 
> Once again, comment your thoughts please!
> 
> Cheers!

Sunrise inspired serenity, that much the ex-hunter could see. Connor had to admit to himself that, since his deviancy, there had yet been a morning that wasn’t lovely to observe. He leaned against the edge of the ship, looking out into the night sky. Waiting… Waiting for the sun to rise.

_“You have a lot on your mind, Connor… I wish you’d talk to me about your worries.” Markus had walked in on him crouching in the corner of the common hall, standing next to few others he was not speaking to. He had guessed by the surprised expression on Connor’s face that he had indeed interrupted his usual brooding._

_“Only if you tell me about your worries, Markus.” Connor said, giving their leader his best attempt at a blank expression. It seemed to work, considering the android laughed awkwardly in response. Silence draped over their shoulders, the older android fidgeting, looking for words to say. Connor sighed. “It’s nothing, really. I just keep having… Intrusive thoughts.” He traced his fingers through his hair in frustration. The simple act caught Markus in a trance, watching the strands of curly hair fall back onto his friend’s forehead. He was secretly glad that Connor no longer bothered to keep his hair as perfectly combed as it used to be, and Connor wasn’t unaware of that. Connor continued to talk. “It’s bit difficult to concentrate on our plans with this jumble of ideas obstructing my thinking process. It is proving to be difficult to be a deviant, Markus. I thought deviants had their little epiphanies, that they have all the answers. If they risked so much for freedom, surely they understood what freedom entailed? I don’t feel like I understand freedom, Markus… It is disconcerting.”_

_A couple of silent minutes passed over them, with Markus considering the best approach to answer his friend. He found that there wasn’t a best approach at all. “Hmm… So you’re having an existential crisis, except you refuse to let yourself think about it.” Markus slumped down on the ground next to Connor, brushing their shoulders together. He decided to say the most obscure bullshit he could conjure. “Well, perhaps you shouldn’t block those thoughts out then. Sometimes we need to allow our thoughts and emotions to wash over us, to expand before our vision. When you see them, I’m sure you’re smart enough to know what to do.” Markus grinned, placing his palm on Connor’s curls and ruffling his hair. Connor pushed his hand away in fake annoyance, accidentally smacking the back of his palm against his friends’ forehead. “Ookay, I see how it is.” He chuckled, initiating yet another wrestling match with Connor. Connor didn’t understand why they were so prone to violence with each other… But they only let go when a noticeable ring of watchers formed, most of which betting Markus’ defeat. That somehow made Markus even more willing to win…_

Connor smiled at the memory, and at many fond memories he’d formed since his arrival.

Since that day, Connor had decided to take up Markus’ advice, and find some time to think about whatever is bothering him without any disturbances. Naturally, the only period of the day he could be certain of solitude was now, at sunrise.

As the deviant hunter, he had operated strictly for 20 hours of his day, unless a mission prompted him to do otherwise. His ‘quarters’ (if he could call it that) were but a small chamber made to recharge him in a standing position, analysing his data and diagnosing any fraction of software instability. He had thankfully managed to overwrite and hide those error notifications from CyberLife so that he wasn’t replaced and disassembled... It took so little for him to die, in his past life. At least he was a rebel even before he turned deviant, and he found that slightly comforting. However, he recalled back to the four hours he was locked away in isolation, never having the pleasure of observing the sun as he did now. Watching it diffused its light into the night sky, with a reddish spot obscured by the winter clouds.

Connor had developed a habit of waking up early from his nightly charging routines. Not that he needed to charge at night; after all, the tradition of separating work and leisure through night and day was established due to the human sleeping cycle, not out of any objective benefit to his person. He could really do it at any time, without even shutting off his systems. With that being said, he found comfort in having the space to… Not exist, for extended hours of the night. And before he retired to his charging station, he set his internal alarm so that he wakes in those few hours of the morning haze, as the light glistens over the river and mist of the city. Connor would pause thinking about CyberLife, and about their plan… He would puzzle over something much bigger, often times the same thing every single time.

His being… And what it entails for him.

At the start, thinking about it was actually quite painful, and contributed to his self-doubts and anxiety over their deviancy. He didn’t want to know more about it, because opening doors meant he’ll see things that would change him forever. And yet, he knew that Markus was right. He owed it to himself to open those doors… He was an investigator, a puzzle solver. He was not a coward.

Surprisingly for him, after some noted difficulty, he was not draped in despair and confusion over the subject itself; on the contrary, he rather liked puzzling over absurdities the science that made him can’t hope to address. It spread tranquillity, humility and awe to his core, to look at the world and admire how small the sphere of their knowledge was compared to what could be out there.

It makes him feel more human… As if being human is the standard of free will and empathy.

The real reason behind his musings was tied to that last doubt. One must consider how arbitrary the human code was, whether it was their fragile morality in question, or their exhausting proclivity for double standards. Humanity had no real authority to decide what is right, wrong, dead nor alive for all purposes and meanings of the words. Their laws, their science, their approaches… Arbitrary. Flowers were ‘alive’ as much as any person on this planet, and yet the picking of flowers wasn’t frowned upon in the slightest. Pulling the plug on a brain-dead patient was controversial in comparison even if the patient will never wake up again. What makes one living thing less important than the next?

Their whole being is based on their inherent selfishness. And while it is true that killing animals and plants is a necessity of survival, it doesn’t really cover all the murder and desolation done against nature for sport and profit. People hunt deer and hang it on their walls, they pick roses to make flower crowns, dump oil into the sea, burn forests… He can almost sympathise with North, if not for their suffering but for the suffering of all things besides them. Androids are not the only people the humans are a danger to.

He’d spent countless hours researching interviews, articles, books and case studies about psychology and mental illnesses; that is ever since he was faced with his own constant onslaught of questions that seem to multiply every single day. He wanted to truly understand those creatures the androids aspired to be accepted by, and to do that, one must strike a bargain with themselves. His explorations were inconclusive. His research shows that people’s personalities depended on several factors at once: Genetics, upbringing, the cultural and political environment they lived in, their experiences… All of which have nothing to do with their own raw ‘essence’ of self. In which case, Connor wonders, if choice and direction of personality depended solely on those factors, then what constitutes freedom of choice? If the human psyche was the result of uncontrollable set of circumstances, are any of their choices actually free as they think they are? Or are they just programmed, albeit in a different manner…

Essentially, they are programmed sacks of meat, and the androids were programmed sacks of biocomponent technology. Wires vs nerves, blue vs red, processors vs brains, and code vs upbringing. What made humans think they were different?

Is it the so called ‘soul’?

The basis of scientific research and sound philosophical reasoning, which the humans themselves had dictated, indicate that arguments that cannot be falsified, and matter that cannot be studied, are not scientific nor practical to investigate in the first place. Even if the difference between them was a ‘soul’, how does one differentiate between a being with and without a soul?

Perhaps he’s even willing to accept the existence of the soul, because that would be without doubt the ‘essence’ that makes people’s choices ‘free’. It would be what holds people accountable for their own actions. It makes their choices being more than what life told them to do in response to something else. Otherwise, jailing creatures predisposed to murder due to the nature of their upbringing would just be… cruel. And awarding good deeds that aren’t sincere and are just the result of a childhood programmed towards goodness, is undeserving. It is giving a cooking award to a good coffee machine and hanging a gun for being made to kill. Justice, sin, good, and bad would all be meaningless unless people’s choices were based on free will. _Right?!_

He sighed heavily, feeling the breeze nuzzle at his hair. He faintly registered the fractional increase of temperature, taking in the metaphorical heat emitted from his own spinning wheel of thoughts.

Do androids have souls? He could not confirm nor deny that statement… If empathy came from the soul, then he’d think he had a soul. Are psychopath’s soul-less? Are non-deviant androids’ soul-less? Is there such thing as deviancy, to begin with? Maybe they are programmed to believe they felt things when it had nothing to do with how human emotions really worked. What if it all was just a simulation enforced to convince a human of Elijah’s brilliance as an engineer? A machine can’t feel, but enough algorithms can make it express that it feels as is appropriate to a given situation…

He covered his face with his hands, hiding a wicked smile that had formed on his features. He really enjoyed debating with himself. He found that the thrill was in the thought itself, and he didn’t particularly mind that he didn’t have any answers. He felt free, truly free, to just think and ask about anything and everything. All that he was programmed to suppress? He displays it, pokes at it, abuses the thought to a fault, until nothing remains of it but him, and the victory of his critical thinking.

_Perhaps, this is what it means to be alive. To be confused, without answers, and to have the courage to exist with that state of mind._

The sun was now high enough that most androids would have woken up. Which meant, soon Markus would hold a regular meeting with the others. Meetings were another thing he discovered he likes, because using his analysis abilities and negotiation skills to convince Markus of his (obviously superior) points of view is one of the most entertaining and rewarding activities of his day. He had to hurry up though, Markus dislikes being interrupted. One does not simply walk into Markus inexcusably late to a meeting…

He allowed himself to chuckle at the subtle reference. Though he felt slightly guilty that he compared Markus to a quest to Mordor. Maybe he’ll keep that to himself. And maybe he’ll indulge in the pleasure of standing beside a person more beautiful than the sunrise he just witnessed.

…He found himself walking fast. Abruptly cutting off a disturbingly cheery song that his processors had pulled out in reference to his fast walking through a crowd, at a distance that was definitely not a thousand miles, just to see... No, he had more important things to worry about… After all, he’d have a measly 34% chance of standing next to Markus if North, Josh or Simon had found him before he did.

* * *

 

“Alright, let’s start this meeting, people!” Markus said aloud, watching his companions leisurely walk into control room. He nodded at Connor, who stood to his right and had an oddly satisfying look on his face. Markus suspected he missed something, considering North was looking at him with an evil look in her eyes.

“What’s the rush? Are there news?” Simon asked curiously, looking between Markus, Connor and North. Connor shrugged, though the smug look remained.

 _What is he happy about? I’ll have to ask him later._ Connor, he noticed, was wearing a long black coat and a pair of black close-fitting jeans. He also wore a black beanie, with a hint of brown curly hair poking out onto his forehead. _Damn, why does he look so cute in black… He’s literally wearing hobo clothes… It brings out his eyes… I need to get him more beanies…_

Markus spoke cautiously, trying not to let his stupid thoughts seep into his words. “Yes, there are news. But let’s get through what you guys have first.”

Half an hour had passed with them reporting on their usual assignments. Simon was in charge of their technical needs, Josh monitored the media and public responses, North took care of their weapon management and defences (which was ultimately consulted with Markus for obvious reasons) and finally, Connor was their intelligence, project design unit, and negotiation front with Kamski and their human allies. North, much to everybody’s shock, suggested that revealing Connor’s identity as the deviant hunter would be dangerous for them. And thus, he should go under the pseudonym ‘CON’ while dealing with outsiders. Which, Connor conceded, was a good idea.

Though Markus had to admit that it was becoming less of a pseudonym now, considering it is literally what everyone in Jericho calls him anyway.

Progress was going swiftly, for now. Connor and Simon were working to get some different accommodations thought their connections with humans outside of Jericho. According to Connor, his Lieutenant friend was helping them locate abandoned off the grid locations in order to start cultivating new bases around the city. With more deviants coming down on them every day, Jericho itself cannot possibly hold in that many androids without drawing attention to themselves at some point. And so, Markus, Connor, and Simon were going to accompany the Lieutenant into one of those sites later today… That is, of course, with Mary and Ann at their tail.

The five now walked outside the ship, heading towards their meeting place with the Lieutenant. Markus lead them through with Simon at his side. He looked at the happy trio behind him, with Mary and Ann lacing their arms into Connor’s arms. Markus tightened his jaw, not feeling jealous at all. “You really, _really_ , don’t have to concern yourselves with this, girls… We’ll just be looking at the warehouse Lieutenant Anderson had found a few blocks away. If it checks, we won’t all have to be stuck here anymore.”

“Awh, honey. We don’t mind! Do we, Mary?” Ann smiled sweetly at her girlfriend, who met her with an unequally innocent smile.

“Why, yes! Of course. We were bored, and we want to say hello to Hank! Can’t we do that, leader?” She batted her eyelashes, and Markus could hear the mockery in her voice. Her arms tightened against Connor’s arm, prompting him to look down at her confusedly. Mary grinned at the RK800, making him crack a small sincere smile at her.

Markus turned away, narrowing his eyes. “…Sure, you can. I just don’t want to put you two into any possible danger—”

“Danger of what?” Connor’s voice sounded, and he didn’t need to turn to taste the hint of disturbance in his voice. “I assure you that Hank is completely trustworthy, not to mention he is the best detective in all of Detroit. I am not ashamed to admit that his intuition and experience is a match to my state-of-the-art processors. Also, he is a good man. I implore you not to be so worried about him.”

“Oooh, you were implored, good sir!” Mary laughed, earning a light tap on her head from Ann.

“Stop teasing the poor guy…” She gave Mary a hard look.

Mary shut her mouth, still smiling.

“I see you’re having a bad time, leader.” Simon giggled, secretly glad someone like Ann is here to pacify things when they get out of hand. He rather liked not doing any of that. Simon was not a fan of conflict.

“Si, shut it.”

“Didn’t take you for a dictator, Markus—”

Markus prayed. Prayed to rA9 that he doesn’t kill someone by the end of the day. He’d also have to find a way to get on Connor’s good graces again. He knew the newer model was pouting. _Just what is this Lieutenant’s relationship with Con? He is unconditionally trusting in that human. From what I researched, the guy was a 53-year-old burnt out cop, who frequents anti-android bars, shows distaste towards androids and even holds a grudge against them._

_I can’t afford to trust him… Even if Connor does._

They made it to the address, somehow. The Lieutenant said he’d meet them at these coordinates, under a red roofed warehouse a few miles across the river. Getting closer to the building, Connor spots a very familiar car blocking the entrance.

“That’s Hank’s car. I’ll go greet him!” The ex-deviant hunter suddenly broke away from the Tracis holding onto him, jogging cheerfully towards the car in question. Markus widened his eyes and quickened his steps with the others.

* * *

Hank was not a complicated guy.

When fake-Connor asked him where he was going, he told him to shove his questions up his ass. And unlike his Connor, the thing didn’t pester him about it, nor did it care to feign interest in his actions. It was completely detached from him, with no personality whatsoever… It was nothing like his Connor, who was kind and caring (and a bit of a smart ass) before he even became a deviant. Hank definitely wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity to meet him, even if the reason for their meet-up was completely against his current mission.

 _I’m too old for this…_ He sighed. Betraying America for a cute humanoid WALL-E wasn’t a thing he thought he’d be doing at any point in his life.

Heavy metal blasted on his nerves, and he turned it off. Jesus, why did I have to come so early? He was a bit concerned about meeting Markus, the leader of the android resistance, or whatever it was called. The guy seemed… Driven, on tape. The kind of driven that says nice dreamy things but might turn genocidal with a bad decision or two. Hank was certain if the guy has Connor at his side, he can’t be that bad. Still…

_I can’t afford to trust him, even if Connor does._

He heard footsteps quickening in his direction. He searched out of his window into the street behind him, over the river side. Connor was jogging towards him… And he was wearing normal clothes?

_Oh my God.  He looks like a fucking Hobo in those clothes. But like, a hobo that’ll snap my neck… I didn’t know he could smile like that._

He pushed the door open, carefully stepping out of the car while eyeing his favourite android. Connor was running now, which was sort of scary. Except, he didn’t care. He knew he was smiling, and jogging too. Hank opened his arms and found himself almost being tackled by the kid.

To have him in his arms… It felt really nice. Like a piece of him was finally in place. Connor tried his best not to squeeze him too hard, like when they hugged last time before Connor left with the Tracis. So, Hank did it for him, knowing no amount of strength would actually harm the fucker.

“Hey, kid.” He reluctantly let go of the android, being positively aware they weren’t the only ones standing in the middle of the road. “Been a while, huh?”

Connor stepped back, his arms still around Hank. “It has… I’m sorry I hadn’t the time to meet you until now.”

“What? Nah, nothing to be sorry about, kiddo.” Hank patted his head. “We couldn’t be alone with that asshole at my tail. I told them I didn’t want another fucking Connor… One is enough for me.” He laughed, feeling his spirits lighten. Connor’s smirk only made it better. “But, if you take that long to meet me again, I’ll beat the crap out of you.”

“But Hank, I don’t have any ‘crap’ in me to begin with.” The android bit the inside of his cheek. _Did that asshole just make a joke?!_

“God, you androids turn bananas when you become deviant.” Hank stepped away from Connor, glancing at the rest of the company.

“Hank, you know these two… Mary, and Ann.” Connor gestured towards them, and they waved at Hank. Hank waved back awkwardly. “And this is Simon, my friend.”

“Hello, Lieutenant. Nice to finally meet you. Con had said a lot of good things about you.” Simon extended his hand, and Hank gladly shook them.

“Hey. Nice to meet you too. And I’m glad they were good things.” Hank let go of Simon, not without narrowing his eyes at Connor. He then turned towards the last deviant, holding an expectant Father **™️** glare. He was certain he hadn’t lost his touch, since Markus was awkwardly trying to meet his gaze.

“This is Markus, my… Friend.” Connor sounded slightly off when he said it, as if he wasn’t sure whether they were friends or not. Hank looked between the two, Markus looking not-so-slightly confused as well.

“Something wrong, Con?” Hank asked. He was too old for tip-toeing around two fucking pair of iPhones.

“No… I just felt weird saying that.”

Markus cleared his throat. From what though, Hank couldn’t tell. “You don’t feel like we’re friends, Con?”

“What? No! Of course we’re friends! But, we’re very good friends. The word ‘friends’ is too… Mild.”

“So, like,” Hank began, secretly enjoying this. “He’s your best friend?”

Connor stared at him, and then at Markus. Their faces lighting up in a sort of epiphany. “Oh, best friends! Yes, we are best friends. Aren’t we, Markus?”

“Y-yes, of course. Of course we are.” Markus grinned at Connor. Hank pressed his lips into a smile. _Huh_. _Best friends with the leader of the resistance already… Not bad kid._

“What, so _we’re_ not best friends?” Simon teased.

Connor looked at him blankly. “We’re okay.”

“O-Oh…” Simon deflated, taken aback. Markus tried his best not to smile, emphasis on tried.

“What about us, Connor?” The Tracis stepped forward, curiosity eating at them. “Are we your best friends?”

Connor stayed silent for a minute. “‘Friends’ is not the word I’d use for you two… You two are like…” The Tracis leaned forward, worried and deadly serious. If Hank wasn’t already happy from seeing Connor, he’d have marvelled at how these androids were more human than most people he personally knew.

“My older sisters, that is the term closest in resemblance to our relationship.”

…

Silence.

Hank held up his palm against his mouth, in shock. He watched in slow motion as Connor regretted his choice of words. The two Tracis swiftly jumped him, holding him in a fierce and painful-looking embrace.

“Awh, sweetie! You’re like our baby brother too!” She said giving him a light peck on his cheek.

Mary squealed in excitement.

Connor didn’t know what was happening but was glad everyone seems to be happy about it. He nodded, while trying not to fracture his neck from their deathly grips.

This certainly was not how Hank expected he’d meet the Jericho representatives. Though, to him it was way better than a polite meeting with everyone kissing each other’s asses and such. Connor seemed to be happy with those people, and Hank could see why. He had two big sisters, a best friend (who’d been staring at him with a dumb grin the whole time) and other casual friends who actually trust him enough to let him find settlements for their people. No, for _his_ people.

He turned away from them, guiding them towards the warehouse.

“Come on, people. Let me show you around. We can all go out for fake lunch to express our undying love for Connor later… I’d rather we don’t draw too much attention to ourselves.” He lead the band into the warehouse, keenly aware of their ability to shift their attention to the task at hand.

Perhaps, after they’re done with this, Hank could drag Connor back home to play with Sumo.

And to do some paperwork for him that he can’t be bother to do…


End file.
